Passenger Stops Would-Be Carjacker

CHICAGO (CBS) — A carjacking victim did not sit idly by when a suspected thief jumped behind the wheel of the car.

He instead fought to stay alive. The thief did not know someone was in the backseat.

CBS 2’s Audrina Bigos has the story.

This went terribly wrong for the person who tried to steal a SUV on Chicago’s northwest side.

The man in the backseat put him in a chokehold, which caused the suspect to crash into a hair salon.

The Irving Park salon was closed Saturday, usually the busiest day of the week, as repairs were made to fix the business after Friday night’s incident.

Abraham Vanegas was in the SUV.

“I feel like I’m lucky you know,” he said. “When we crashed into the building, he just off and started running that way.”

Hes talking about the man who tried carjack his family’s vehicle.

It happened minutes before the crash at this 7-11 a few blocks away while his parents were inside the store.

“I was the only one in the car. I was just texting,” he said. “Next thing you know there was a guy inside the truck. He just went inside the truck and started driving so I just grabbed him by the neck.”

That choke hold caused him to swerve off the road and crash before ditching.

Venegas said he tried to chase the attempted carjacker but he got away.